Page 10

Teagan

“You don’t think they…” I grimace.

Eamon and I are sitting at our kitchen table, discussing the events of the previous night at Paddy’s.

“Christ, he better not have pulled his normal shite,” Eamon grouses. “Surely, he wouldn’t shag and bail on Alicia. Not just because she’s pure gold, but she’d murder him.”

“I swear to god, if we have to find a new pub, I’ll rip his bollox off and shove them so far up his arse, they’ll hang out of his nose,” I seethe. I’m usually a lover, not a fighter, but sometimes Ro makes me so raging mad with his antics. And I’m not about to give up O’Nelly’s Pub.

Eamon barks out a loud laugh.

The wanker in question chooses that moment to barge through the door. “What’d I miss, mates?”

“Just our plans to disfigure you if we have to find a new pub,” I grumble.

“Why the feck would we have to find a new pub? What did you wankers get up to?” Ro sinks into one of the chairs and props his feet up on the table.

“Not us, you gobshite,” Eamon says while pushing Ro’s feet off the table. “Keep those boats of yours on the floor, will ya? Now tell us what you did to Alicia.”

Ro lets out a loud groan. “It’s not what you’re thinking. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”

Eamon and I share a look of disbelief before Rowan continues.

“Alright, so Alicia and I bumped into each other last week at a club. We’d both been drinking, obviously, and dancing. Next thing I know, we’re in the jacks, snogging. It was getting heated, but I put on the brakes. Alicia’s not just some random wagon, is she? Snogging is one thing, but shagging her is a different story altogether. If I’m going to shag her, it’s not going to be while we’re hammered in the jacks of some manky club. I have more respect for her than that. So, anyway, she was raging and ran out of there before I could even explain myself. It’s been frigid ever since.”

There’s utter silence as we process what Ro just told us. When has he ever stopped a shag? And with Alicia of all people! He must actually like her.

“Stall the ball.” I turn the ball cap on my head backward before leaning forward to rest my elbows on the table. “You’re saying that Alicia wanted to hook up and you turned her down?”

“Not because I didn’t want her! God knows how much I’d love to sink my…”

“Stop,” Eamon interrupts. “No more, mate.”

“Right. So anyway. That’s the story. Every time I try to talk to her, she goes all ice queen on me.” Ro shrugs.

“Well, Rowan, for once, I can actually say you did the right thing, but you’re going to have to find a way to explain it to her,” I tell him sternly.

“And how do you suppose I do that when she barely acknowledges me?” Rowan gives me a look like I’m dense.

Eamon hums and taps his chin. “Norah and I are hosting Thanksgiving at hers next week for all of our mates. She always invites Alicia. If I can make sure she’s there, you can corner her at some point. We can orchestrate something.”

“You and the fire sprite are getting serious, yeah?” Ro asks with a raised brow.

“Yeah.” Eamon blows out a breath as he laces his fingers behind his head. “She’s amazing.”

Observing my friend and roommate, I notice the subtle changes on his face. Eamon was so guarded when he came to UNCW. Now his eyes are brighter and his normal scowl has been replaced with a softness that only one feeling in the world can bring.

“You love her, don’t you, mate?” I ask quietly.

“Without a doubt.” He answers without hesitation.

We sit around discussing what Ro should do or say to make things right with Alicia for a while. He’s rarely serious about anything but seems to be genuinely bothered by what transpired between him and Alicia. She’s fierce in every way, with long black hair and blunt bangs brushing her eyebrows and both arms covered in sleeves of tattoos. She usually wears all black, sometimes accented with deep purple or red. The girl is seriously intimidating and doesn’t take shite from anyone. When a man hits on her at the pub, she’s quick to put him in his place, and the guy doesn’t bother her again. Except for Ro, who loves a challenge. He takes her insults and rebuffs to use as fuel for their next round.

“Have you considered just asking her out?” I suggest. “Clearly there’s chemistry there. Maybe instead of immediately getting physical, take her to dinner?”

Rowan scrunches his nose like the air smells of rotten fish. “Teag, mate. I don’t do dinner dates.”

“Then how do you plan on moving forward with her?”

“I never said I wanted to date her.” He scoffs.

“So,” Eamon says slowly. “You want to fuck her, but you won’t because you respect her. And you have no interest in attempting a relationship with her because…why? ”

“Eamon, Eamon, Eamon,” Ro says, addressing his friend like he’s a small child. “I’m too young and hot to settle down. This body was made to entertain the ladies. Plural. I’m not a one-woman type of man.”

Eamon rolls his eyes as he stands from his chair. “Whatever you say, Ro. I’ve gotta get to Paddy’s. Slán,” he says, bidding us goodbye in Irish.

I want nothing more than to hit Ro upside the head. Fecking eejit.

“Well probably better that you leave Alicia alone, then. She doesn’t deserve to be another notch on your bedpost,” I snap at him.

“That’s my point exactly, O’Brien! She’s a good girl who deserves to be with someone who can give her all of her heart’s desires and stay the course. I’m not that man,” Rowan says regretfully.

Ro hasn’t shared much of his life in Ireland, but we know his family life has been rough. His mom walked out on them when he was a young wan, leaving him with an alcoholic father. He’s implied that, in order to survive, he had to do some unsavory things but never expanded on it.

“But you could be. If you really wanted to be.” I shrug.

Ro lets out a defeated sigh. “No, mate. I don’t think I could be. I think I’d try and fail. So rather than becoming a huge disappointment, I’ll just stick to what I do best.”

“I think you cut yourself short, Ro. If you’d actually be serious for once, I think you’d surprise yourself.”

He rolls his eyes dramatically.

“I’m serious. The fact that you were able to stop yourself from shagging Alicia, while drunk , speaks volumes. Even when you’re banjaxed, you recognize she’s different than your regular flings. Obviously, you don’t lack complete common sense.”

“Fuck off,” Ro barks. “It took every ounce of willpower to take my hands and mouth off of her, Teags. I can’t stop thinking about it. Half the time, I want to kick myself for stopping, and the other half, I actually feel like I did something honorable.”

“You did , which is what I’m trying to tell you,” I growl in frustration. “You can be what she deserves because you’re already doing what needs to be done. Think it over, mate. Really think about what it would look like to give it a go with her. If the thought of waking up next to her, and only her, for the foreseeable future makes you cringe, then leave her be. But if that thought makes your heart stop, it might be worth giving up your wild ways.”

Rowan sits there silently for a long while, just staring at the wall. I’ve never seen him so pensive before. Finally, he sucks in a deep breath and stands, stretching his arms above his head.

“Right. I’m off. Thanks, Teags. I know I give you a lot of shite, but you’re a good bloke.”

“Go on with you, now. Did Rowan Gallagher just pay me a compliment? I like this new you. Looking forward to when you pick up the next tab at Paddy’s.”

“Will I, yeah? You can go and bollox, how about that?” Ro says with a grin.

“There he is.” I chuckle.

Layla

It’s Thanksgiving Day, and I still haven’t given Teagan an answer. I made a pros and cons list that didn’t help at all. Deciding to call in reinforcements, I text Norah.

Layla: Hey, any chance you need some help with meal prep and your guy isn’t there yet?

Norah: I’m officially intrigued. Yes, come on over. Door’s open.

Layla: Thanks xoxo.

Not wasting any time with getting fixed up, I slip into my favorite sandals and head next door. I’ll have time to get ready for the big meal later. Norah and Eamon orchestrated a Friendsgiving since so many of us don’t have family close. Last I checked, the guest list included all three Irishmen, Alicia, Myra, Amelia, and myself. Since Charlie is the only one married, the couple spends the holiday with her husband’s family. Norah is providing the main part of the meal, but everyone else is bringing some sort of side dish or dessert.

“Knock knock,” I call out as I enter Norah’s house.

She’s sitting at the kitchen island with a coffee mug cupped in her hands, red hair in a messy bun on top of her head. There’s a steaming mug of coffee waiting for me.

“ Mi amor , you take such good care of me.”

Norah sips her coffee before ordering me to sit and spill. “Alright, what is it that you don’t want to say in front of Eamon?”

Sighing heavily, I say, “It has nothing to do with not trusting him. I just want to say that now. It’s more of I don’t think I could actually make the words come out if he was here.”

“Understood. Now, spill.”

“So, you know that Teagan and I saw the play together. What you don’t know is that we almost kissed. In the auditorium. Five minutes before the play started.”

Norah gasps, then starts bouncing in her seat. “Okay, almost. Then what?”

“Before you get too excited, we still have not kissed yet.” I pause to laugh at my friend’s pouting face. “However, after the play, he walked me to my car and we started talking about holidays with families. I told him how my family always hounds me about being single, never bringing anyone home with me for the holidays, my brothers bringing a new girl every year, yada yada. I made a joke about finding a homeless guy and paying him to come to dinner just so they’d leave me alone.”

“And…?” Norah waves her hand, encouraging me to continue.

“Teagan told me to take him to family Christmas.”

“He what ?!” Norah claps her hands to her cheeks in shock. “Was he being serious?”

“Yes! Norie, I thought he was just messing with me, but he was dead serious. He said he could be my backup, my moral support against my family. When I asked him what he was getting out of it, he just said that he wanted to play soccer with my brothers and make tamales with my Abuela. ”

“Wait,” Norah muses, not missing a damn thing. “Why did you blush when you mentioned making tamales?”

“Um. We might have had a conversation where making tamales became an innuendo?”

Norah bursts out laughing. “Okay, I need to know this story before we talk about anything else.”

Groaning and blushing like crazy, I recount our first almost-kiss and the conversation following that. Norah is practically in tears by the end of it.

“Oh my god, Lay. I can’t. That’s so funny! I always knew Teagan was a fun guy, but I’m learning so much about him right now. Okay, now, back to him inviting himself to the Diaz Family Christmas. What did you tell him?”

Biting my bottom lip, I dig my pros and cons list out of the pocket of my hoodie. “I haven’t answered him yet. I have no idea how to. On one hand, the moral support would be awesome. On the other hand, does this mean we’re dating? Or just friends? Are we telling my parents we’re dating if we’re not actually dating? Also, why would he offer to do this? I’m so confused, Norah. I made a freaking list of why I should or shouldn’t take him up on this, and it hasn’t helped.”

“This is a big deal, amiga! First, I don’t think you and Teagan can be classified as just friends anymore. Not after almost kissing twice .” Norah holds up two fingers, emphasizing her point. “There’s some serious sexual tension between the two of you. Have you gone out since the play?”

“No,” I groan. “Our schedules have been conflicting. We text every day. The last time I saw him in person was at your surprise party, and we didn’t really get a chance to talk.” I let my mind wander back to that moment.

* * *

The girls and I decided to throw Norah a surprise party in celebration of the play being such a huge success. Paddy, the owner of the pub, agreed to close it to the public so we could make it a private event. I’m sandwiched between Amelia and Charlie when Teagan saunters up to our table. He says hello before my friends start gawking at him and making the whole thing awkward as hell.

Realizing we aren’t going to have any sort of privacy, he says, “I won’t interfere with your fun. I just wanted to come over and say hi.”

“I’m glad you did,” I tell him, smiling softly.

He raps his knuckles on the tabletop before tossing me a wink and walking back to the bar. Once his back is turned, Amelia and Charlie start squealing and giggling.

“Please stop,” I beg. “You made that so weird.”

“Sorry, girl, but that man is hot. We’re living vicariously through you right now.”

“You just keep your hands and eyes to yourselves, and we won’t have a problem, comprende?” I snap, earning a round of astonished gasps and giggles.

“Okay,” Norah says, bringing me back to the present. “I think the first thing you two need to discuss is where this relationship is headed. That will make your decision easier, right?”

“That’s true. See? This is why I came over here. I knew you’d be calm and level-headed while my brain went loco . Now I just have to find the nerve to bring it up.” I sigh heavily at the thought.

Norah reaches out to squeeze my hand. “Don’t worry. You have time. It’s not something that has to be talked about today. Let’s just enjoy the holiday, and if the conversation comes up naturally between the two of you, great! If not, table it for another day. He’s a patient guy, and I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”

“You’re right. Thanks, chica. Now. What can I do to help?”

* * *

Teagan is sitting across from me, looking so ridiculously handsome it’s distracting. He’s in a hunter green sweater over a black collared shirt and a pair of light-wash jeans. The five o’clock shadow covering his sculpted jaw is somehow better than his clean shaven look. It’s rugged and sexy. The group decided to keep the night informal, but everyone seems to have taken extra care in selecting their outfits. Ro’s even wearing a tie !

I’d like to say I dressed for myself, but I chose my outfit with Teagan in mind: soft taupe dolman-sleeve sweater over black leggings with red accent jewelry and the red lipstick Teagan seems to love. I left my hair down, letting my natural waves come out to play. If anyone has noticed the way we keep eyeing each other, they haven’t mentioned it.

We manage to find ourselves alone only once. I walk out of the bathroom to see Teagan leaning against the opposite wall, hands in his pockets, sleeves pushed up to his elbows. I stop and watch his eyes travel over me slowly.

“Hey, stranger.”

He smiles warmly as he pushes off the wall and steps closer so we’re toe-to-toe.

“Hello, Lovely. You look incredible,” he murmurs.

“Thank you. So do you.”

Leaning in, he moves his mouth to my ear, the faint scent of pine and something strictly male invading my senses, and whispers, “Did you wear those red lips for me, love?”

I swallow thickly. Not wanting a repeat of our almost kisses to be outside of a bathroom, I place a hand on his chest and push him gently back. Smiling broadly at him, I shrug before turning to walk away but pause to glance over my shoulder.

“Maybe, guapo.”